Silly samplings from this week’s science news, compiled by Bethany Halford and Lauren Wolf. Where some see a stinky armpit, this Ph.D. student saw a novel method for making cheese. [Improbable Research] Latex condoms? So five minutes ago. The new hotness is electrospun nanofiber condoms. [PopSci] Bad news for those of us who have lost our sense of smell from breathing the air in the organic lab: Scientists say a strong sense of smell is key to a happy relationship. [Daily Mail] New study, completed in Turkey, shows that treating gum disease also improves erectile dysfunction. Newscripts wonders whether the researchers did a control for bad breath simply keepin’ the ladies away. [Vitals/NBCNews] A nice explainer on the perils of moonshine and drinking oneself blind. [Slate] Experiment from 1995 finds that cowboy boots impart less balance to subjects than tennis shoes. Give those researchers some more funds!...

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The Safety Zone covers chemical safety issues in academic and industrial research labs and in manufacturing. It is intended to be a forum for exchange and discussion of lab and plant safety and accident information without the fanfare of a news article.